Bracelet, 'Silver Fish'

Like fish fossilized in sterling silver, miniscule spheres adorned with fish align in the creation of this extraordinary bracelet. Novel in design, the bracelet also witnesses Thai style as Ploy Intha hand-crafts this piece with the ancient longya to create an aged effect. Infused with pristine elegance, this bracelet is the ideal complement to any attire. Silver and a small amount of copper is placed in a crucible, then covered with another crucible and this assembly is placed in the forge. When ready, some ground charcoal is blended into the molten alloy to prevent solid dross from forming when that mixture is poured out into a terracotta container. The silver obtained is beaten into the desired shapes with appropriate hammers and tools on an anvil. Two rings are soldered to a flexible string, braided out of long strands, and two additional pieces of the same string are soldered to the whole. Little half spheres are then soldered to the dangling strings. The necklace is washed into a tamarind solution before being dried and polished. Finally the artisan applies a secret mixture of his own to give the necklace a burnished finish. .925 silver.